If you could have asked me four months ago if I needed a laptop-specific bag, as I pulled yards of tangled cord and a stickered but otherwise bare Macbook Pro from a tote, I might have laughed at you. “I have, like, 100 overpriced and adorable bags, all of which can fit a laptop easy,” I would have said. At one point, I even had one of those protective sleeves. I’d slide my laptop into that and drop it into whatever bag I decided to carry that day–along with the various wallets, makeup bags, sunglass cases and emergency bottles of 5-Hour Energy I also kept (and still keep) with me at all times.

But very quickly I noticed my Macbook was deteriorating. Even though it is technically a portable computer, every time I’d take it along with me to another coffee shop, the hazards of the outside world (and a fair share of my own clumsiness) would send it another step closer to that great Genius Bar in the sky. So much so that I bought a Chromebook to schlep around, keeping the Macbook Pro at home in relative safety. And I’m not alone. I polled some of my friends on their laptop carrying habits, and it turns out there are quite a few of us throwing our laptops into our bags carelessly. Take freelance writer and fellow laptop-schlepper Julieanne Smolinski:

“I have a case that I never use. I am VERY abusive to my laptop. I get soup on it, I throw it into the part of my carry-on size suitcase meant for shoes when I travel, and on. It’s easy to just throw it around because it’s a Macbook Air, so it’s basically the candy bar from ‘Atonement.'”

Clearly it’s time for a new laptop bag.

Even though most laptops bags could be considered unisex (you can find more of those in our past picks here), here we are interested in bags that skew slightly female, in that they have the required laptop spot along with extra space that’s well-designed for all the things women tend to carry around with them. They’re also all considered with an editorial eye (fair warning: mine!) that has over 25 years of experience in coveting bags in stores, online and hanging from the shoulders of other people. What these bags are not, however, are simple laptop sleeves with straps attached.

When looking for a stellar laptop bag, here are a few things to look out for.

Pockets!!!!!: You can never have enough pockets. Pockets for cell phones, pockets for keys, pockets for an extra pair of tights, pockets for wallets. The last thing your bag should be is a pit of darkness–where all of your precious cargo accumulates at the bottom and you are forced to rummage through for every item.

Drop length: I hadn’t even heard this term before I started researching bags, and now I feel like I’ve heard it non-stop for the past few months. It defines the distance between the top of the curve your shoulder to the top of the bag, (see a visual example right here, via Dooney & Burke), which is crucial for deciding how you’ll ultimately carry it and how much stuff you can cram inside.

Weather Resistance: Your laptop is a very delicate species, and the #1 thing it definitely doesn’t like is water. You’d be surprised at how many seemingly waterproof-looking bags aren’t actually waterproof. If you’re going to be carrying around electronics, you’re going to want to make sure you bag isn’t going to crump at the sight of moisture.

Comfort: Carrying a simple shoulder bag with a laptop merely shoved into it turns out to be a generally bad idea for your shoulder(s). Many of the flimsy canvas totes I’d use as both a purse and a laptop bag didn’t have a crossbody shoulder strap to support my back. My fellow laptop-carrying friend, Senior Marketing Director at Outbrain Kelly Reeves, was doing the same thing: “I’ve been carrying my laptop in a sleeve crammed inside a large-enough purse, but it’s not ideal. It ends up hurting my shoulder, as it doesn’t have the proper support.”

Style: As a professional woman (which means I have at least one job and a sense of female gender identity), there is a natural inclination toward wanting to carry a nice bag. Just as I retired those gaping Converse All-Stars with the unhinged soles last year, I’ve attempted other small ways to appear like a real adult human, worthy of being respected at the office. One of the things on that theoretical list is acquiring a bag that’s nice-looking, nice-feeling, has-room-for-gym-clothes, and most importantly: is a safe haven for my laptop(s).

If a look at the offerings of designer brands like Marni, Tori Burch, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Le Sportsac and Rebecca Minkoff is any indication, the fashion set may not be quite ready to adopt a more sensible (although, perhaps, equally expensive) laptop bag with room for the rest of your life inside. What these brands do seem keen on is carrying a separate bag that just fits your computer. Sara Zucker, who works on digital for NARS Cosmetics and writes a very popular fashion blog, farpitzs, has some experience with this category but offers a more practical solution:

“Many of them are fairly simple and nondescript. Basically, you’re paying for the label. I think the ideal situation when carrying a laptop around is to just get a large leather tote bag with a separate inner pocket and slip your laptop in a sleeve and into that pocket. I say this because it’s less OBVIOUS than getting a bag specifically for the laptop itself and since many of them (the laptop bags) lack outer and inner pockets, it’s basically just a sleeve with a strap.”

Safety: Downside to carrying a bag so blatantly laptop-shaped? I really would rather not get mugged. Kelly made a similar point: Most laptop bags do look like laptop bags:

Most “laptop bags” are either ugly, look obviously like a laptop bag or are only equipped to carry the computer and nothing more. I would also prefer not have a bag that tips off every potential creeper that I’m in fact carrying a laptop they could easily rob from me for some quick cash (I am not tough.)

I scoured the web for bags that had been recommended by fellow bloggers and dove into the online shops of popular bag brands, looking for bags specifically marketed to women or ones that could pass. I also read through hundreds of user-submitted reviews on Amazon and elsewhere to see what people found most (and least) useful in a laptop bag. I literally lost count of how many bags we considered during this process…

I finally decided on about a dozen or so bags that fit the criteria above and seemed to be well-regarded by publications and customer reviews alike. After called them all in for testing, I carried each one to and from work (and sometimes through a happy hour detour), with either an 11.6” Chromebook or my almost-broken 13” Macbook Pro inside. I braved quite a few compliments (which I’ve made sure to note for each), managed to hit a few fellow straphangers in the face (with said bags), and stuffed each one full of extra accessories to see what they could really hold (spare bottles of advil and deodorant, if we’re being honest). After all was said and done, these were the bags that impressed me most.

What about a 17″ laptop? I must be the only person in the world with a large laptop because wide enough laptop bags just do not exist, nevermind any of these nice ones

mim

The bags are super cute! I especially like the Alesya. But what about a vegan friendly one? And maybe one made in the USA? Or at least North America?

Michael Zhao

Rickshaw is all made in SF

http://twitter.com/Alesya Alesya

Thanks Mim! As the company grows, we are are looking at all these ideas. Thank you for letting me know these are important issues to you!

Jordan

I would check out the company GRACESHIP. They are a Louisville, Ky based company that makes laptop bags specifically for women using only vegan leather. All the bags are under $200 but look as stylish and upscale as your main designers! I’ve been so happy with this company! Their site is http://www.thegraceship.com

Jordan

I would check out the company GRACESHIP. They are a Louisville, Ky based company that makes laptop bags specifically for women using only vegan leather. All the bags are under $200 but look as stylish and upscale as your main designers! I’ve been so happy with this company! Their site is http://www.thegraceship.com

Zunaira Anwar

Hello, LINDSEY WEBER, I do agree with Mim! I love these bags especially the second one in black, and thank you for the ultimate guidance. While I was surfing on the web I literally founded by a link http://welearners.com/latest-fashion/handbags-clutches-purses-fall-winter-2012-2013-by-louis-vuitton/ I personally like these LV bags but now after watching these splendid bags, I am thinking to convert my choice here Please suggest me that how to buy them? I am waiting for your kind reply, thanks in advance.

http://twitter.com/cupcakecore cupcakecore

As someone with joint pain in my shoulders, I really dislike that backpacks are “unprofessional”. I mean, I don’t have a laptop for work but if I did, laptop bags would do me in. I need an even disbursement of weight!

Lindsey

Trust me, I agree with you.

http://pancaketheorem.com Jenn

I agree! I have a Baggu backpack and I keep my 13″ MacBook in a sleeve within it. It does the trick, but I wish there were nicer looking faux-leather laptop backpacks. And no more backpack h8rs!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Eva-Kiser/589151036 Eva Kiser

I have looked forever for my macbook around in. I just found it at of all places Walmart. This bag is roomy with a laptop sleeve that will fit my 13 macbook in my STM jacket. It has a middle zipper compartment for loose papers and files and plenty of storage on the outside front for my cellphone & tablet. http://www.walmart.com/ip/George-Black-Work-Tote/22086246

Anarcissie

Macs seem to be fairly flimsy, at least in my wide experience (2). I recommend smaller netbook things, most of which are considerably stronger and can be carried around in a variety of bags, backpacks, or whatever. Of course if money is not important you can treat the Macs as disposables; when one falls apart, just have the butler transfer your files to the next one.

Michael Zhao

I can’t tell if you’re trolling… But just in case, if your Mac is falling apart, then it means you’re not carrying it right (i.e. not using a sleeve or dropping it a lot). The only consumer brand that’s sturdier is the Thinkpad series, and even that’s up for debate.

kassykat

Wow! I’ve never heard anyone say a Mac is flimsy. I have 2 that are over 7yo each and still going strong. That being said, I have to agree that most laptop bags for women are hideous. Personally, I’m not very thrilled with the ones you chose. The one I am using now is one I converted. I’m not sure why so many laptop bags have gotten so ugly, or why designers think women like ugly, but I’m still searching.

Emily Gimmel

I personally was not happy with most of the laptop bag selections out there and that is why I decided to start my own brand! GRACESHIP combines true fashion and functionality for womens laptop bags. Our products are sold around the world on our website http://www.thegraceship.com

Hana

Has the list been updated, seems smaller than before? I decided to buy the grey one in the top left image of the article and remeber seeing it in the link a few months ago… But not anymore?

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Nope, hasn’t changed!

http://thecartesian.com/ James

Macs seem to be fairly flimsy, at least in my wide experience (2). I recommend smaller netbook things, most of which are considerably stronger and can be carried around in a variety of bags, backpacks, or whatever. Of course if money is not important you can treat the Macs as disposables; when one falls apart, just have the butler transfer your files to the next one.Sydney Thanks

Sigal Shaharabani

I like messenger bags as they give me more balance with the weight of the bag with the laptop. I tried several bags which could barely fit a women’s bulky purse, my glasses and other stuff a woman needs and a couple of years ago I got a Tibuk2 bag and I am very happy with it. It has enough space for the purse glasses and other stuff like a water bottle. Since I’m in Israel we don’t get a variety of models but they have a variety of women bags

Lilith_Black

Can I know the name of the grey one on the left? Looks cute but I can’t find it

Which I believe is currently sold out in every color except for the Hot Spot (purple) as they are prepping for the release of a new collection

Christina

I’ve been looking for a bag like this for a while, and recently bought this bag on wirecutter’s recommendation. It’s been 3 weeks, and I’ve been experiencing MAJOR back pains, so much so that it’s become difficult for me to fall asleep. I’ve realized that it’s not necessarily the bag, but the fact that no one should be carrying a lot of weight on one shoulder. And note that this bag is NOT light weight, it’s quite heavy even when empty.
This bag is great as a carry-on, but definitely not as an everyday bag. I live in NY and walk a lot, and it seems to me that even though I hate carrying multiple bags (gym/purse/laptop), it is better for me physically.

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